Download Environmental - Successor-agreement to the extended Kyoto protocol

Committee/Council:
Environmental and Cultural Committee
Issue:
Preparing for the completion of the successoragreement for the extended Kyoto protocol in
2015
Student Officer:
Alexandros Roth
Position:
Co-Chair
Introduction
In the year 1997 the Kyoto protocol was drawn up in Kyoto, Japan. Its aim was to
implement the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This protocol was an attempt to create new international regulations on greenhouse
gas emissions and it is officially the first global binding contract to reduce
greenhouse emissions. The treaty became an international law in 2004 after many
years of debate between leaders, politicians and scientists. In 2012 the Kyoto
protocol expired.
Now conferences are held within those the Conference of the Parties (COD) in order
to extend the protocol. In the United Nations Climate Change Conference of 2012
which was held in Doha, Qatar it was decided to extend the Kyoto protocol until
2020. A successor of the Kyoto protocol is set to be developed by 2015 and
implemented by 2020.
Definition of Key-Terms
Global Warming
It is defined as an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that
causes corresponding changes in climate. It is caused mainly by the greenhouse
gases emissions.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs)
According to the latest research the greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), per fluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur
hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). When rising into the air they cause the
greenhouse effect which blocks dispensable rays in the atmosphere. That leads to rising
temperatures.
Emission Trading
Every country becomes a warrant that states how many emissions the country can
have in a certain period of time. Developed countries usually become warrants with
lower limits of emissions. Wanting to have more emissions they buy the warrants of
countries which have less emissions. The total of emissions in a region stays the
same.
Signing and Ratification
There is an explicit difference between signing a treaty and ratifying it. While signing
is usually just symbolic and has no meaning ratifying is what makes the final decision.
When a country signs a treaty it is not obligated to fulfil the terms of that treaty.
Ratification is needed to show that a country is willing to action the terms of the
treaty.
Annex I
Almost all industrialized countries and the countries with economies in transition
such as e.g. Russian Federation are parties of the Annex I countries. Most of the
Articles in the Kyoto protocol refer to the countries included in the Annex I. It is
important to notice that the Annex I countries are parties to the UNFCCC and not
directly to the Kyoto protocol.
Annex II
Annex II countries are mainly industrialized nations and there function is to support
developing nations financially in order to assist them with cutting emissions.
Furthermore they have to take action helping the developing countries to use
environmentally friendly technologies.
Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)
Activities in the LULUCF sector can lead to the growth of the removals of greenhouse
gases from the atmosphere for example by planting trees and to the reduction of
emissions. All in all, the LULUCF sector has effects of the emissions of that country.
Background Information
Global Warming
The actual background of the Kyoto protocol is the Global Warming. Greenhouse
gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro
fluorocarbons (HFC's), per fluorocarbons (PFC's), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) or
nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) are rising into the air and causing the greenhouse effect. That
effect is when those gases concentrate in a great number in the atmosphere some
rays which are reflected by the earth and should exit the atmosphere are reflected
again by those gases. The rays stay on earth and cause global warming. The Kyoto
protocol tries to reduce those gases making countries use other energy sources less
harmful to the environment especially the developed countries. Its goal was to
reduce the rising temperature to 2° Celsius as it was planned that the world’s
temperature would rise for 4° Celsius.
History of the Kyoto protocol
Countries joined the international treaty the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992. Their goal was to cooperate with each other in
order to find ways to limit the rising global temperature. Five years later, on 11
December 1997, during the 3rd Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC they
adopted the Kyoto protocol which legally binds developed countries to emission
reduction targets. But the protocol needed another 7 years to enter into force due to
the conditions which had been decided on in 1997 and which had to be fulfilled in
order for the protocol to be a law. The first terms of Kyoto required at least 55 parties to
ratify the agreement and the second term of Kyoto demanded for the total of those parties
emissions had to be at least 55% of global production of greenhouse gases. In 2002 with the
ratification of Iceland the first condition was covered. The second condition was fulfilled
with the ratification of the Russian Federation in 2004 and so the Kyoto protocol entered
into force on 24 November 2004. The reason why Russia decided to ratify the treaty
although they didn’t plan to in first place was the establishment of the emission trading.
Russia thought of that as a benefit since it has many square miles of forests in its land which
would mean a warranty with a higher limit of emissions. The first commitment period took
place from 2008 to 2012. In this time period 37 industrialized countries and all the members
of the European Community (15 members of the European Union) which have committed
themselves to binding targets to greenhouses gases emissions have to reduce their
greenhouse gases emission from 5% to 21%. It is for each country different since it is
based on each countries emission of 1990. The first commitment period didn’t turn
out to be as successful as expected since many countries didn’t manage to reduce
their emissions enough and others increased them. There are many bad critics about
the Kyoto protocol and many people believe that it isn’t effective enough.
Successor of Kyoto protocol
In 2012 the first commitment period expired. According to the Kyoto protocol there
is to be a second commitment period from 2013 to 2020. Not every country which
agreed on the first commitment period has committed itself to binding targets to
greenhouse gases emissions in the second commitment period. The Russian
Federation, Japan and New Zealand have not taken on new targets in the second
commitment period. Due to that and to the withdrawing of the protocol by Canada it
was decided in the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference which was held
on 8 December 2012 in Doha, Qatar and which was also the 19th session of the
Conference of the Parties that an amendment will extend the Kyoto protocol until
2020. This amendment includes new regulations for the countries which have agreed
on taking part in the second commitment period, a report which has to be delivered
by the attending countries on new greenhouse gases and changes to several articles
in the Kyoto protocol which refer to the first commitment period and need to be
reconditioned for the second commitment period.
Changes in total aggregate emissions of individual Annex I Parties, 1990–2010
The figure above shows in what percentage each Annex I party managed to reduce
or increase their greenhouse gases emission from 1990 to 2010.
(Sorry for the bad formation. I didn’t manage to make it any clearer. You better see it
in the link)
Source: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2012/sbi/eng/31.pdf
Major Countries and Organizations Involved
United States of America
The United States of America were never really part of the Kyoto treaty. In July 1997
the Senate adopted the Byrd-Hagel Resolution which states that the US won’t ratify
any treaty harming its economy and not including developing countries. In 1998 Al
Gore signed the Kyoto protocol but without ratifying it. In 2001 George W. Bush took
the signing back and refused to ratify the treaty saying that the protocol is harming
the US economy. Furthermore the US was afraid that the Kyoto protocol would
increase the unemployment and that a cut in the carbon dioxide emission would
lead to a cut in the energy usage of the country.
Canada
Canada having ratified the Kyoto protocol in 2002 withdraws it in 2011. Not being
able to reduce its emissions with the prescriptions of the Kyoto protocol Canada had
to pay great amounts of money as penalty. That may be the reason for its
withdrawal of the treaty.
China
China has ratified the Kyoto protocol but is not a Annex I party and is not obligated
to reduce its greenhouse gases emissions. China does not want to ratify it as an
Annex I country.
European Union
The European Union being the world second largest emitter of carbon dioxide has
signed and ratified the Kyoto protocol. It attended in the first commitment period of
the protocol and is willing to attend the second, too. However, the European Union
believes that the treaty is weak. It is disappointed that many countries such as
United States of America, Canada etc. have not ratified the treaty. The European
Union remains one of the first in reducing carbon dioxide emissions since it began in
1991 to do so.
Timeline of Events
Date
Description of event
1979
First World Climate Conference is held in Geneva.
1988
Climate change is proclaimed as a common humanity concern
by the UN General Assembly.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is
established to provide scientific analysis of current, global
information about the risk of climate change.
First IPCC report which announces that human activity has
caused global warming
For most countries this is the base year for the limitations of
its emissions.
1990
1992
1997
2004
2007
2011
2012
In the Second Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was decided on a
stabilization of the greenhouse gases emissions by 2000 and on the
creation of the UNFCCC
The Kyoto protocol was adopted in December during the 3rd
Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC in Kyoto, Japan.
The Russian Federation ratifies the Kyoto protocol which enters into
force.
The 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in
Bali and included negotiations on a successor of the Kyoto protocol.
The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in
Durban, South Africa. Decisions were made to prepare a new treaty
to limit greenhouse gases emissions by 2015 which will be
implemented by 2020.
The 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in
Doha, Qatar where the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto protocol was
adopted.
Relevant UN Treaties, Resolutions and Events
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The UNFCCC is a treaty which was adopted in 1992 and came into force in 1994. In
2011 the member parties reached the number of 195. Its goal was to stabilize the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in order to prevent the
dangerous interference in the climate system. The treaty provides negotiations
between the member states upon the issue of climate change and the impacts of a
enormous concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is not proposing
any limitations for the emissions of each country.
Doha Amendment (1/CMP.8)
The Doha Amendment which was adopted in the 2012 United Nations Climate
Change Conference held in Doha, Qatar includes changes to several articles of the
Kyoto protocol. The amendment was adopted due to several countries as the
Russian Federation, Japan and Australia not willing to attend the second
commitment period of the Kyoto protocol. Until today only the United Arab Emirates
have signed and ratified the Doha Amendment.
Byrd-Hagel Resolution (S.Res.98)
The Byrd-Hagel Resolution is a resolution which was adopted by the Senate of the
United States in July of 1997. It states that the United States of America refuse to
sign any treaty on climate protection if it harms the US economy and if developing
countries are bound to cut emissions, too.
Previous Attempts to solve the Issue
Attempts to solve the problem, to unite the member states and to make them work
together in order to improve their climate-related problems began in 2007 in the UN
General Assembly plenary debate which was devoted exclusively to climate change.
Many countries were able to state their opinion and describe their climate-related
situation. In September of the same year Secretary Ban Ki-moon held discussions on
the post-Kyoto treaty in the United Nations General Assembly meeting. In December
in the United Nations Climate Change Conference many discussions were held about
a successor of the Kyoto protocol with conclude the decision to reach an agreement
until 2009. In the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2011 no new treaty
to reduce greenhouse gases emissions was established as planned. Instead they
decided on a legally-binding deal which included the member states until 2015 and
had to be implemented until 2020. The final decision was made in the United
Nations Climate Change Conference in 2012 in Qatar where the agreement was
reached to establish a successor of the Kyoto protocol and to extend its lifetime until
2020.
Possible Solutions
The problem is based in the lack of cooperation and unity between industrialized
nations and developing countries. Competition and egoism was dominating and that
was blocking the finding of a solution. Some countries didn’t want to continue with
the Kyoto protocol because they were afraid of destroying their economy, for others
reducing their emissions would be very expensive and some didn’t have the
possibility due to lack of modern, environmentally friendly technologies. The key to a
successful reduction of greenhouse gases emission all over the world is the
cooperation between nations. In order to find effective solutions countries have to
overcome their competition and their egoism. Nations have to start thinking not only
for themselves but for the good of the whole world. To accomplish that, nations
could start by forming small alliances within their region where discussions and
negotiations will lead to exchange of information and technologies. Furthermore
ambitious countries like India, Brasilia and Indonesia which support climate goals
could form partnerships in order to make other countries to think the same way. In
those partnerships and alliances talks about deforestation and an environmentally
friendly infrastructure could be made. Through that way the competition between
nations and the mutual blocking of countries in the issue of the Kyoto protocol will
be overcome. Now countries will realize that only with cooperation and coordination
both aspects of global warming and industrial development will be accomplished.
With signing the Kyoto treaty and its successor cooperation and coordination
between nations can be achieved.
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